Shut down certain activities to open new opportunities

May 31, 2011

Last week, my "smart" phone froze while performing its simplest function — receiving an incoming phone call. Out of all the fancy things my phone can do, the most basic call made it completely unusable.

My somewhat frantic call to the manufacturer provided an easy fix. Turns out the phone was smarter than I was.

Too many programs were running. I simply needed to shut down a few things and reset it. I hadn't paid enough attention, so I lost a fair amount of time and added a fair amount of stress to my day.

As I was fooling with the phone, I realized this is exactly how we are as busy people. We do not function well when we overload. We stall. Freeze up. We sometimes are unable to do the simplest tasks well or in a timely way.

With summer unofficially under way, this might be a good time to consider how many things you have going on in your life and work.

Pinpoint what you need to shut down. By shutting down certain activities, you may do a few core things better — and enjoy them more.

We tend to add activities, priorities and tasks — and then add even more. We become overwhelmed and that leads to frustrations at work and home.

A few reminders:

When you take on too many activities, you become less efficient at easy assignments, the very things you know how to do best.

When you're over-scheduled, you communicate less effectively. You let emails slip through the cracks. You lose paperwork on your desk.

You rush through personal conversations. Just like my phone, you are disconnected.

Trying to do too much makes you prone to mistakes — and open for accidents.

You become so tired that you're less satisfied with work or home life.

The very activities you once enjoyed are locked up by all the non-essential or less important activities. These may have crowded into your brain and onto your calendar while you weren't paying attention.

You don't have to do everything. Not only that: You can't do everything.

Identify areas of your work life where you feel stalled.

Is it possible that you've added so many new projects that you're not doing very well at your core responsibilities?

Have you let what's needed (such as my phone being able to take a simple call) slip because of things that aren't nearly as vital?

Take your mind and actions off autopilot. One of the results of over-scheduling is that we tend not to think about why we do what we do. Decide if tasks and activities are needed. Don't just do something because you've always done it.

Figure out areas of your life where you need to hit the reset button. Perhaps you need to schedule a few days off.

Or maybe you need to reconsider a problem area in your business or organization. Maybe you just need a good night's sleep.

Shut down something to unlock all sorts of possibilities this summer.

Judy Pace Christie is a local consultant and author. She is the author of "Hurry Less, Worry Less at Work" and "The Glory of Green," her third novel. For a free weekly podcast of Hurry Less, Worry Less tips, see iTunes. Contact her at judy@judychristie.com.